Saturday, July 6, 2013

17 year old abducted & sold for bride trafficking from Assam, rescued by law enforcement authorities in Haryana

Palwal, Haryana, 28thJune 2013: Nazneen (name changed) was shivering with fear and broke into tears as she hugged her Khaala (aunty). Unsteadiness in her walk and her cracking voice reflected what she had been through. From being an innocent young girl who felt free , strong and librated to the one being abducted, trafficked, raped, abused, threatened with death and finally being sold off to a ”prospective groom”, Nazneen has seen it all, within span of just over a month.

Acting on a complaint filed by Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA), local police and BBA activists rescued a minor girl Nazneen yesterday evening from Pigaud village in Palwal district. This 17 years old girl was abducted and trafficked by a gang of traffickers from Assam to be sold off as a bride in Haryana. Nazneen (name changed), whose mother passed away when she was just 13 years old and her father is bed ridden for years due to paralysis, was deceived into believing that once she goes to Delhi she will have a better life and can help her family out of poverty.

The traffickers did not allow her to discuss the matter with her family members and manipulated her to accompany them. To Nazneen’s horrors she was raped by Hovi, a trafficker when they were on their way out of Assam. The horrifying tale of rape and abuse continued when she was brought to Haryana.

She was sold to different men on multiple occasions and finally she ended up being with a man named Barkat, who bought her for 15,000 rupees. Barkat raped her and abused her for days and later married Nazneen to his younger brother Irkam. Nazneen’s marriage happened in very shady circumstance as neither any cleric nor witnesses were present at the time of the marriage and even her consent was not taken for the same.

Mr. Kailash Satyarthi, Founder BBA, said “This incident is the exact reflection of how this syndicate of trafficking works. Young girls who are most vulnerable are deceived and lured into this nexus of trafficking and their lives are ruined. BBA has received 107 such complains of missing girls from one district of Assam alone till May 2013. In past 15 days, this is the second case that has been tracked in Harayana, where young girls from different states are trafficked and sold.”

Somehow Nazneen managed to give her brother Samsul and aunty Samina a call. She cried for help and begged her brother to rescue her from this place. Samsul and Samina mobilized police officials to visit the palace where Nazneen was being kept captive. But the police official “co-operated” with the accused Barkat and his brother and allowed them take Nazneen again with them. Police official in Palwal said that that the crime happened in Assam, so Assam police should deal with it.

Mr. Kailash Satyarthi, Founder BBA, added “The nexus of trafficking is supported and abetted by some corrupt police officials. At times the approach of police is appalling. In one of the cases that BBA encountered, an investigating officer from Haryana Police had no Idea about the laws for protection of children against sexual crimes and trafficking.”

Nazneen (name changed), after being rescued was presented before Child Welfare Committee and investigation is under way to identify others involved in this syndicate of trafficking.